In July 1925 the foundation stone for Shiplake Memorial Hall was laid and a memorial tablet unveiled. Heber Reginald Mardon had been killed on 9th October 1918 aged 19. In 1924 his parents put forward a proposal to provide land and to finance the construction of a village hall at cost of £3,500. This building would, they hoped, benefit the community and be a fitting memorial to their son and the men of Shiplake and Binfield Heath who lost their lives in the First World War. Over the years the hall has had various facelifts and extensions modernising and adapting to the changing times but always remaining an integral part of village life. A place where people from all over the community can come together for celebration, for learning, for exercise and companionship.
A Village Hall is so much more than a building and this is Shiplake Memorial Hall’s story so far.
1924
A generous proposal is made by Mr and Mrs Mardon of Haileywood House, Shiplake to build a Memorial Hall at a cost of around £3,500.
The proposal is welcomed and a committee is set up.
1925
January The committee proposed the addition of an Institute to the Hall. The Mardons agreed and offered an additional £500 towards the costs of altered plans.
July 18 th 1925 A Formal ceremony attended by the Bishop of Oxford to lay the foundation stone and at the same time the Memorial Tablet is unveiled by Mrs Mardon. The Programme of the Day and the report from the ‘Henley Standard and South Oxfordshire Standard’ show that this was a major occasion with a grand procession of various groups, many in full regalia, singing led by a choir and a large number of the general public present. Further it is at this event that Sir Frederick Eley Baronet Sagamore makes the generous offer to purchase, from the Mardon Family, the 5 acres adjacent to the Hall and Institute for use as a sports field.
The revised picture of the Hall to the new design shows a considerably larger building with a handsome memorial tower set on the northern end of the building. Local history suggests that the tower height and position were agreed so Mrs Mardon might be able see the memorial from her home in Shiplake.
1927
23rd April 1927 – The Shiplake Memorial Hall and Institute are formally opened and handed over to the Trustees on 23rd April 1927. The attached introductory provides a wonderful description of the Hall as it was then complete with maple dance floor, accommodation for a cinema operative and apparatus, a full sized billiards table and a grand piano! The lovely maple floor is still there and films still shown but alas no longer a billiards table nor grand piano!
21st June 1927 – Various public meetings were held over the course of the next few months to set up a management committee and decide how the Hall and Institute should best be used. These meetings were sometimes lengthy as can be seen in the report from The Henley and South Oxfordshire Standard but there was a clear desire to “make that building a real living force in the parish…”. Representatives are elected for The Football Club, The Cricket Club and the British Legion. It is now that talk of a Bowling Green as well as tennis courts is discussed and much agreement that a Women’s Institute should be formed.
28th September 1927 – The Institute is formally opened on the evening of Wednesday 28th September with the opening ceremony being the playing of a short billiards match by Mr Makower of Holmwood, Binfield Heath, followed by a whist drive promoted by the Shiplake Village Bowling Club and then a dance.
A branch of the Women’s Institute had been started and was to meet on Wednesday afternoons. The WI still continue today to meet on a Wednesday afternoon once a month!
23rd April 1928 – First AGM was held and was well attended! Thanks were given to Mr Mardon who had paid for coals and insurance considerably helping the accounts! In future the Hall and Institute would have to pay these bills too. Clearly concerns around energy costs are not new.
15th June 1929 – The Sports Fields and Recreation Ground a generous gift to the villagers by Sir Frederick Eley, are opened on 15th June 1929. The field provided opportunities for the locals to play cricket and football. A splendid pavilion was erected offering changing areas and a place to provide refreshment. Sadly the pavilion is no longer there.
There were two grass tennis courts and during 1929 The Shiplake Tennis & Social Club was formed with 30 members. The subscription to join per year was 5/- (25p!) A grand dance was held for 59 people to celebrate the founding of the club. The Tennis Club continues to flourish today
1930’s – During these years the Bowls Club moved from its previous location at The Plowden Arms to the Hall where a 6 rink green was laid on land that had previously been a market garden. At this time the Club became known as The Shiplake Memorial Hall and Institute Bowling Club. Matches were played on a Saturday afternoon. The Club, now known as The Shiplake Village Bowling Club, is still at the Hall and playing regular matches.
1960’s – In 1966 a new roll of honour was unveiled by Eric Mardon along with a plaque showing the Mardon family coat of arms.
The Hall facilities had fallen into disrepair during the late 1950’s and there was talk of land to be sold for repairs. However the Henley Standard report indicates that by 1966 bookings were once again good and the Hall in much demand.
1983 – A new appeal was launched by the management committee to raise urgent funds as many of the rooms at the Hall had fallen into serious disrepair and there were no funds to pay for the work required.
In response to this appeal the Shiplake WI organise a village history exhibition of photos and other memorabilia over the weekend of March 22nd and 23rd at the Memorial Hall. Entrance to the exhibition was 50p and tickets for the Cheese and Wine Supper on Friday evening £3.00
1989 – A celebration dinner is held to mark two years of renovation. Costs for repairs were already £65,000 with another £15,000 still required to complete work on landscaping.
1998 – Further works costing £27,500 were undertaken to improve the kitchen, toilets and some repairs to the Hall roof.
We are grateful to Henley Library, The Henley Standard and Shiplake Parish Church for some of the historic material included in this summary of the history of Shiplake Memorial Hall.
2011 – Shiplake Memorial Hall past and present , after the modernisation work.
An extensive modernisation project was undertaken to upgrade and improve the Hall. The plans included building a state of the art catering standard kitchen, a new entrance lobby offering better access and completely new toilet facilities. Progress of these complex and major works can be seen by following the link below.
When the project was completed in October 2013 the Shiplake Memorial Hall was transformed into a wonderful space ready to serve the community for many years to come.
Modernisation
The facilities and layout limit the potential exploitation of the hall and despite careful maintenance over the years, age and wear and tear are taking their toll. Flat roofs leak and are expensive to look after, users often comment that the kitchen facilities are antiquated and inconvenient, and there is nowhere to hold small meetings comfortably whilst the main hall is in use.
This vital community asset is now in need of extensive modernisation to make it fit for many generations of future use. Please see here for more details and photos.
